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The 2023 CQ Ranking Manager Thread

Page 8 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Here's my team this year with some sort of argumentation and expectations - I tried a new approach for me, going top-heavy and splashing big on two riders almost always in the mix, thus also finding a lot of cheap (and young) guys to root for. Sadly I couldn't just leave my one sentimental pick out, so Sagan is on my team for the third time in a row:

ROGLIC Primoz: Still a great rider, was very unlucky last year from the Tour and beyond. Doubling the points to 2500+ should be doable with no major bad luck.

VAN DER POEL Mathieu: Also struck with bad luck in 2022, but such a classy rider. If Van Aert can get 2800 points, Van Der Poel should be able to get to 2200 points as well. Of course his back problems and his MTB focus might deter his season a bit, but still I feel he’s got so much upside, that I went for the “go big or go home” approach this year.

PIDCOCK Thomas: Picked due to potential and ambitions for the road in 2023. Will easily better his season from last year, 1500 points could be on the table, if he takes a leap in stage races, as I expect.

ALAPHILIPPE Julian: The former World Champ got struck by the rainbow curse, and even though Lefevre is picking on him, 6 out of his last 7 seasons went for over 1000 points, so he’s bound to bounce back in a major way. Probably a consensus pick.

SAGAN Peter: Okay, even though I burned my hand on picking Sagan over Evenepoel last year, I just can’t get myself to not picking him at this price. Sagan is still an undisputed leader, and if his long-covid symptoms and divorce are finally behind him, hopefully he’ll show the World he’s not done yet. I expect/hope for a 1000 points season.

GAVIRIA RENDON Fernando: Movistar thinks Gaviria deserves super sprinter status, and even though they never really managed to back up a real sprinter, Gaviria will get a much needed change of scenery and clear leader role in the races he wishes. 800 points should be doable.

BAGIOLI Andrea: There’s plenty of chefs on QuickStep, and Bagioli will definitely fight with Alaphilippe in several races, but the guy is so talented and aggressive in his style. An injury-free season will also allow him at least 600 points, and I’m probably understating here.

HONORE Mikkel Frølich: If he stayed at QuickStep, I’d never have picked him, and even though EF isn’t exactly masters of one day races, Honoré is on the verge of breaking through with a big win, and a clear leader role will benefit him. 700 points area expected.

ASGREEN Kasper: I’m seeing the QuickStep theme here, but Asgreen had nothing going for him last season, and this guys motor is incredible - just ask Van Der Poel:) 600 points expected. Probably a consensus top10 pick.

UIJTDEBROEKS Cian: Actually young Cian exceeded my expectations for him last year, but after following him race much of the year, it’s clear this guy is the real deal. His ceiling is very high, and though it might take a year or two for him to break the 1000 points barrier, I wouldn’t risk making another mistake by not picking a very young, extremely talented Belgian.

SIMMONS Quinn: Just like Honoré, Simmons is a case of almost-there. He always lights up the races, makes him fun to watch, and he is sure enough in himself to expect his first (big) win to come this year. I’m gunning for a 500 points season.

VAN WILDER Ilan: Young, talented Belgian - and not just Evenepoels sidekick. I’m sure Logic-is-your-friend would tell everyone to pick him, and he couldn’t possibly be anymore unlucky than last year. 500+ points expected.

SCHACHMANN Maximilian: I don’t really know what went wrong with Schachmann last year, he just never was quite there. Three seasons prior all around the 1000 points tells me last season was the outlier. Expecting 750 points at least. Should be a consensus pick.

ONLEY Oscar: Let’s be honest - I didn’t really know the guy before seeing him race against Vingegaard in Croatia, but boy, was he amazing? DSM seem to have a reasonably flat hierarchy, so if Onley is further improving, there should be big things looming. A little daunting, but I’m going talents this year.

MILAN Jonathan: It was him or Van Uden, and in the end I opted for the guy who already showed great promise in the pro peloton last year. Milan is ready to step up to the next level and has a clear path to a leaders role on a Bahrain team void of sprinting competition bar Bauhaus. Expected 500 points.

STYBAR Zdenek: My standard “old cobbles guy”. Change of scenery to Jayco makes him clear leader, and Stybar himself apparently still thinks he has got what it takes. That’s enough for me, since he’s not Froome:) 400 points expected, potentially a consensus pick as well.

WILLIAMS Stephen: I’d liked it better, if his B&B Hotels team hadn’t collapsed, but I guess Israel has to do - a lot of minor races where he could use his punch. The guy has clearly not gotten enough out of his talents so far, and it’s just one of those cases of “I’ve got a feeling” by seeing his wins in Croatia ´21 and Suisse ’22. I expect 400+ points.

GREGOIRE Romain: Most likely picked too soon, but his performance across the U23 scene has been amazing. Hopefully he’ll translate it to the pros rather sooner than later. Picked more from a talent perspective, but these last years have seen more and more young guys breaking through early on. 200 points is an easy estimate.

BRENNER Marco: Rode far better last year than his results suggest. Remember Brenner is still only 20 years old, and with a Vuelta in his bag now, I’m sure he’s ready to step up a notch this year on a DSM team screaming for results. I expect 400 points.

NYS Thibau: Another cyclocrosser-turned road racer. Still very young and learning, but he’s fast and should get his chances this year. Hard to tell if this year is too soon for him, but in the end I opted for him instead of team mate Hellemose, as I think his ceiling is higher. 200 points expected.

MOSCHETTI Matteo: He bossed the Mallorcan races in early 2020, but since then Moschetti has been rather quiet. I’m hoping that his switch to new Q36.5 (Gotta love that name!) will give him lots of opportunities in smaller races, where wins will raise his confidence - he doesn’t seem so confident. Hard to know his racing program yet, but let’s go with 300 expected points.

MOSCON Gianni: Il trattore - lost his 2022 season to a bacterial infection, but should be back on track now. It’s clear what he’s capable of, when he’s healthy. Astana needs him to step up. 500+ points, should be an easy consensus pick, if people don’t shy away from him because of his personality.

DE PLUS Laurens: I lost count of how many years I’ve picked De Plus in this game. He’s been hindered by a viral infection, which he took a long time to regain race fitness from, and even though he’s still a long way down the pecking order at Ineos, even the mules sometimes get their chances. Let’s say a 200 points outcome is a decent floor.

SCHELLING Ide: Another rider hit with long-covid symptoms last year, so I’m gonna trust his own words and believe he’s better now. Talented Dutchman, expecting a repeat of his 500 points from 2021. Will he be a consensus top15 pick due to his low price?

HOELGAARD Markus: Also Hoelgaard experienced the aftermath of Covid last year, which seems to be a theme for at lot of riders. He’s absolutely more than capable to score 300+ points in a regular season, despite backing up Mads P and Stuyven.

PONOMAR Andriy: Great Ukranian talent, still very young - but has already finished two grand tours. I primarily picked him because of his team change, where I need some guys for the massive amount of French races.

FISHER-BLACK Finn: Massively talented, ended 2022 with a terrible crash, just when he was about to show his big talent. Versatile and highly praised by Mauro Gianetti at UAE. 300+ points this year.

STEINHAUSER Georg: After finishing his studies, we’re now ready to see Steinhauser take on pro cycling full time. With both time trial and climbing skills he should be able to get some chances on a opportunistic EF team. 200 points.

HERMANS Ben: This one is gonna be boom-or-break I think. Also Hermans has been hit hard with long-covid. If he’s not able to return to his old self, he’s not gonna make the 50 points mark, but if healthy there’s 500 points on the table for the taking. I’m taking that odds, hoping for Hermans’ full recovery.

WALLS Matthew: Walls should be completely over that horrific crash in the Commonwealth and will likely resume an important sprinters position again this year. 400+ points expected - curious to see if this is a guy that players find general consensus in, because I just stumbled over him in the last minute.

QUICK Blake: Groves is gone, Blake is Quick. Well, not quite as fast yet, but he will at least get some chances, because of the hole the departure of Groves left at Jayco. Very cheap, let’s say the floor is 200 points.

BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley: Well, nothing to say here. Guaranteed to be the top pick in this years game, most likely unanimous, except for those forgetting about him or not caring about the overall win.

DEKKER David: French racing. Period. Okay, that’s a bit rough. Dekker showed potential in his first season, but he has been unlucky, ridden silly/stupid or been hit by sickness. He would’ve easily gotten 200 points anywhere else, but on Arkea I can see a 400+ points season coming up.

Good luck to all this year, but mainly good luck to my team :)
I'm glad someone went with Gaviria. I couldn't quite fit him in but I think he's a very worthwile gamble at that price. I didn't want to pick too many returning riders this time around (Cian and Juan being the only ones) but I see you picked most of the guys I would have brought back if I had gone solely on merit (Bagioli, Simmons, Van Wilder, Brenner only missing Baroncini). Since they'll have their breakthrough the year after I pick them as is tradition I expect at least a shout out in your victory speech at the end of the year:D
 
Looking at the teams already in, maybe my team is not as bad as I usually imagine: most of them seem to be picked elsewhere, and Piccolo might be my only main miss. In which case it will come down to the unsuspected successes or the apparently minor picks, where I will probably let myself down again.

I don't think I realised how old Perichon was when I picked him as part of a late reshuffle based on not being confident that Cees Bol was ever going to get that Astana deal.
ROGLIC Primoz
YATES Simon
PIDCOCK Thomas
ALAPHILIPPE Julian
LUTSENKO Alexey
SAGAN Peter
HAIG Jack
DUNBAR Eddie
HONORE Mikkel Frølich
ASGREEN Kasper
UIJTDEBROEKS Cian
MASNADA Fausto
SIMMONS Quinn
SCHACHMANN Maximilian
HARPER Chris
ONLEY Oscar
HAMILTON Lucas
GREGOIRE Romain
MÜHLBERGER Gregor
SYRITSA Gleb
DE GENDT Aimé
MOSCON Gianni
PERICHON Pierre-Luc
SCHELLING Ide
HOELGAARD Markus
EEKHOFF Nils
FISHER-BLACK Finn
PONOMAR Andriy
HALVORSEN Kristoffer
HERMANS Ben
BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley
TARLING Joshua
HOFSTEDE Lennard
 
I'm glad someone went with Gaviria. I couldn't quite fit him in but I think he's a very worthwile gamble at that price. I didn't want to pick too many returning riders this time around (Cian and Juan being the only ones) but I see you picked most of the guys I would have brought back if I had gone solely on merit (Bagioli, Simmons, Van Wilder, Brenner only missing Baroncini). Since they'll have their breakthrough the year after I pick them as is tradition I expect at least a shout out in your victory speech at the end of the year:D
Traditions are good:) Actually kinda expected to have Baroncini in and never really made an effort to switch around to fit him, since I forgot that he wasn't on the team,lol.
 
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My CQ squad for 2023 looks like this.


Magnus Sheffield - 621

Tom Pidcock - 599

Andrea Piccolo - 509

Julian Alaphilippe - 489

Tobias Halland Johannessen - 462

Luke Plapp - 441

Jay Vine - 438

Fred Wright - 416

Nicola Conci - 359

Corbin Strong - 358

Andrea Bagioli - 321

Mikkel Honore - 320

Jason Tesson - 264

Cian Uijtdebroeks - 253

Maximilian Schachmann - 187

Antonio Tiberi - 174

Soren Waerenskjold - 168

Jonathan Milan - 160

Yevgeniy Fedorov - 145

Lenny Martinez - 121

Igor Arrieta - 114

Romain Gregoire - 108

Marco Brenner - 105

Thibau Nys - 102

Matt Dinham - 62

Gianni Moscon - 61

Bastien Tronchon - 50

Markus Hoelgaard - 44

Ben Hermans - 20

Matt Walls - 10

Blake Quick - 6

Egan Bernal - 5

David Dekker - 3
 
Looking at the teams already in, maybe my team is not as bad as I usually imagine: most of them seem to be picked elsewhere, and Piccolo might be my only main miss. In which case it will come down to the unsuspected successes or the apparently minor picks, where I will probably let myself down again.

I don't think I realised how old Perichon was when I picked him as part of a late reshuffle based on not being confident that Cees Bol was ever going to get that Astana deal.
ROGLIC Primoz
YATES Simon
PIDCOCK Thomas
ALAPHILIPPE Julian
LUTSENKO Alexey
SAGAN Peter
HAIG Jack
DUNBAR Eddie
HONORE Mikkel Frølich
ASGREEN Kasper
UIJTDEBROEKS Cian
MASNADA Fausto
SIMMONS Quinn
SCHACHMANN Maximilian
HARPER Chris
ONLEY Oscar
HAMILTON Lucas
GREGOIRE Romain
MÜHLBERGER Gregor
SYRITSA Gleb
DE GENDT Aimé
MOSCON Gianni
PERICHON Pierre-Luc
SCHELLING Ide
HOELGAARD Markus
EEKHOFF Nils
FISHER-BLACK Finn
PONOMAR Andriy
HALVORSEN Kristoffer
HERMANS Ben
BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley
TARLING Joshua
HOFSTEDE Lennard
Glad to see someone take the gamble on Simon Yates. I really thought about picking him myself. It is insane how many GTs he has had to abandon the last few years.
 
My CQ squad for 2023 looks like this.


Magnus Sheffield - 621

Tom Pidcock - 599

Andrea Piccolo - 509

Julian Alaphilippe - 489

Tobias Halland Johannessen - 462

Luke Plapp - 441

Jay Vine - 438

Fred Wright - 416

Nicola Conci - 359

Corbin Strong - 358

Andrea Bagioli - 321

Mikkel Honore - 320

Jason Tesson - 264

Cian Uijtdebroeks - 253

Maximilian Schachmann - 187

Antonio Tiberi - 174

Soren Waerenskjold - 168

Jonathan Milan - 160

Yevgeniy Fedorov - 145

Lenny Martinez - 121

Igor Arrieta - 114

Romain Gregoire - 108

Marco Brenner - 105

Thibau Nys - 102

Matt Dinham - 62

Gianni Moscon - 61

Bastien Tronchon - 50

Markus Hoelgaard - 44

Ben Hermans - 20

Matt Walls - 10

Blake Quick - 6

Egan Bernal - 5

David Dekker - 3
Damn, I was really hoping to sneak Arrieta in as a unique pick. Figures that you would be the one to crush my dreams :D
Since you also have Johannessen and Tesson, I'm down to Penhoët, Poole, Romo and Laurance as potential unique picks.
 
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I'm kinda surprised so many already revealed to have picked Piccoli. I had him last year, where I enjoyed his autumn, but I don't see him light it up yet in the spring races. It seems to me the late-season races offer more opportunities for easier points due to fatigue and injuries in the peloton, and even though he already looks like a very capable rider, him getting a 700 points season fx isn't worth a pick IMO. What are peoples expectations to him pointswise?
 
SCHMID Mauro
656​
PIDCOCK Thomas
599​
EWAN Caleb
576​
ALAPHILIPPE Julian
489​
MEEUS Jordi
483​
LUTSENKO Alexey
454​
WRIGHT Fred
416​
BISSEGGER Stefan
359​
SERRANO RODRIGUEZ Gonzalo
323​
TULETT Ben
316​
LEEMREIZE Gijs
263​
BONNAMOUR Franck
243​
VAN DIJKE Mick
240​
PAGE Hugo
230​
SCHACHMANN Maximilian
187​
TIBERI Antonio
174​
BERTHET Clément
171​
BAYER Tobias
164​
VAN UDEN Casper
160​
MILAN Jonathan
160​
CALMEJANE Lilian
136​
MARTINEZ Lenny
121​
GREGOIRE Romain
108​
BRENNER Marco
105​
BARRE Louis
92​
MOSCON Gianni
61​
SCHELLING Ide
46​
HOELGAARD Markus
44​
EEKHOFF Nils
40​
FISHER-BLACK Finn
37​
MILESI Lorenzo
23​
HEIDUK Kim
17​
BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley
5​
 
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It is time to preemptively remind ourselves of collective failures from our past. Here are some amazing pick-ups in last year's edition that nobody picked up.

VINGEGAARD RASMUSSEN Jonas went from 1254 to 2204 points (+950)
VAUQÉLIN Kevin went from 54 to 618 points (+564)
VAN GESTEL Dries went from 133 to 663 points (+530)
ROTA Lorenzo went from 470 to 915 points (+445)
HIRT Jan went from 158 to 587 points (+429) (Yeah I have no clue how you could see that one coming either)

DUJARDIN Sandy went from 3 to 401 points (+398)
LAURANCE Axel went from 20 to 301 points (+281)
 
My team with a few thoughts:





ROGLIC Primoz 1240

(definetly not a certain pick with the risk of the injury affecting him still and him getting a bit older, but still a huge potential, and I think after abandoning Evenepoel last year as a similar type pick, I did not want to do that again)

PIDCOCK Thomas 599


(Destroyed my teams hopes last year, with his odd season and constant illnes but now even cheaper he had too much potential to skip)

EWAN Caleb 576

(One of the last picks, Again a bad pick last year, only improving marginally, but so much scoring potential and so much bad luck last year with crashes and badly timed illness so with a little luck he can still be a very good pick and Lottos new program might well also be more focussed on him getting points I hope

ALAPHILIPPE Julian 489

(the most obvious pick of all)

ACKERMANN Pascal 414

(Looked so strong in the Vuelta and huge scores in the past and Gaviria also gone from UAE, so now seems a good time for him to again show the class he did only a few years ago.

SAGAN Peter 402

(excused a lot from Covid 19 the last years, and a rider like Sagan for 400 points, despite him getting older was too cheap too pass so a certain pick

HAIG Jack 364

Very unlucky last year and despite the Bahrain magic is no more he should be a very solid pick

BOUHANNI Nacer 353

Has been very unlucky for years, but despite him likely not being his best version now, still great potential to score a lot of points, with Arkea very focussed on that and planning to have him ride a lot of 1 day races, and for instance alone him starting in the Malorca races is a great way to get many easy points. Not the most obvious pick but I think he will surprice and be a very solid pick.

HONORE Mikkel Frølich 320

Obvious pick with his bad luck last year and new captainrole with EF

TEUNISSEN Mike 292

A lot of riders blossoming well on Intermatche and he should do so too, Huge potential to improve and a very solid pick

ASGREEN Kasper 276

Obvious pick after his bad luck last year

UIJTDEBROEKS Cian 253

Im not sure he will develop fast enough to be a good pick, but he should improve at least, and the hype has hit me hard enough to fear leaving him out.

VAN WILDER Ilan 252

One of the last picks just added in the final puzzle after seing a interview where he sounded very ambitious and confident about getting a lot of personal chances and he was a great talent some years ago with some unlucky years so still a lot of room for big improvement

BARONCINI Filippo 191

Big so far unlucky talent, a obvious pick

SCHACHMANN Maximilian 187

No clue what his issues were last year, but too risky to leave out now

MIHKELS Madis 173

The recent injury made me doubt the pick, but on paper a very solid pick with the skills to score a lot of easy points.

ONLEY Oscar 161

Huge talent that was a certain pick

MILAN Jonathan 160

One of the last picks but sounds quite ambitious and has looked very strong and fast in glimpses, big potential even if he risks a lot of leadoutduties

PENHOËT Paul 132

Not the fastests but very solid sprinter that seems to be the 2. sprinter for FDJ, which should give a lot of easy points

QUINN Sean 115

Big unforfilled potential, was a certain pick

GREGOIRE Romain 108

One of the biggest new talents, a certain pick

NYS Thibau 102

Big potential and it seems like his back injury was getting better so he got the chance

HAYTER Leo 98

Not sure how much chances he will get, but huge talent and this year the young Ineos talents certainly blossomed fast so he had to get the chance

MOSCON Gianni 61

Obvious pick now his health problems seems to be over again

VERCHER Mattéo 57

Perhaps not the most obvious pick, and one of my last picks, but very versatile sprinter that was very solid all year amongst the french amateus before his great october stagiere race. I think he could score very well on the french scene

SCHELLING Ide 44

Certain after his bad luck last year that should be over

HOELGAARD Markus 41

Certain after his bad luck last year, that should be over

HERMANS Ben 20

Im not sure he is over his post Covid 19 problems, but with his potential at the price I was too afraid to leave him out.

WALLS Matthew 10

Still huge unforfilled potential, a certain pick

SVRCEK Martin 10

One of the last picks and perhaps too young, but very impressive 2021-junior-season especially and Quick Step sounding very optimistic about his qualities so he got the chance

QUICK Blake 6

Also one of the final picks in the last puzzle, but a very solid pick, replacing Kaden Groves as second sprinter for Jayco with the potential and speed to do almost as well

BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley 5

Certain at the price despite the injury

DEKKER David 3

Not sure how many chances he will get with Arkea stacked with semisprinters, but still he was one of the most promessing talents a few years ago and has just been very unlucky since then, so still a certain pick.


The riders closest to make my team was the 3 last cuts Lenny Martinez, Brenner and Gloag (replaced in the end by Van Wilder, Vercher and Svrcek) 3 big talents that would definetly also have been good picks, but I hope they will wait a year with their big results. Besides those also Ayuso (if I skipped Roglic), Tobias Johannesen (instead of Ewan, but too much uncertaincy about his knees) and Kelderman, Marit, Stybar, Masnada and a final cheap pick, Antunes, were those closest to make the team.
 
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Damn, I was really hoping to sneak Arrieta in as a unique pick. Figures that you would be the one to crush my dreams :D
Since you also have Johannessen and Tesson, I'm down to Penhoët, Poole, Romo and Laurance as potential unique picks.


I am a keen admirer of Arrieta indeed. Last year was too soon I felt, but this year I didn't hesitate. :)

I expect a solid progression. Ayuso, Carlos Rodriguez, and Arrieta are the future of Spanish cycling. Contador held the record on Gorla with a time of 20.30 (back in 2001). Igor broke it back in 2019 with 20.29 (In an uphill TT as a junior) though it must be mentioned that Contador did it in Subida a Gorla with a double accent of Gorla to be fair.
 
I have the pleasure of introducing The Basque Street Boys

A team consisting of riders who has either ridden for the original or the current Euskaltel-Euskadi or for any of their feeder teams or who can be considered Basque in some sense or another (please note that I have listed them according to their 2022 CQ scores, not by I what deem to be their Basqueness).

There are however also a few known exceptions, and there might also be some I haven't spotted. Explanations are given for some of them.


HIGUITA GARCIA Sergio Andres 1320
Perhaps a bit controversial since he only rode for FE for a few months before the EF move, but I think he fits in quite well, and most of his old teammates are also here, so he won't be lonely. I thought Unai Cuadrado was in the team, too, but I apparently forgot him when I redid it :confused:
BILBAO LOPEZ DE ARMENTIA Pello 1304
LANDA MEANA Mikel 817
ARANBURU DEBA Alexander 618
IZAGIRRE INSAUSTI Ion 565
LASTRA MARTINEZ Jonathan 345
BIZKARRA ETXEGIBEL Mikel 229
RODRIGUEZ GARAICOECHEA Oscar 192
BARCELO ARAGON Fernando 184
BARTHE Cyril 149
LAZKANO LOPEZ Oier 148
FRAILE MATARRANZ Omar 142
ARRIETA LIZARRAGA Igor 114
ABERASTURI IZAGA Jon 108
JUARISTI ARRIETA Txomin 108
MARTIN SANZ Gotzon 104
CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan 98
IZAGIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka 95
PETERS Nans 91 I had to keep one of my non-Basque darlings
AZPARREN IRURZUN Xabier Mikel 84
CABEDO CARDA Oscar 65
CANAL BLANCO Carlos 63
BOU COMPANY Joan 59
SOTO GUIRAO Antonio Jesus 37
AZURMENDI SAGASTIBELTZA Ibai 30
ROMEO ABAD Ivan 29
He isn't Basque (at least not by birth), but he is a product of the MMR Academy founded by Samuel Sánchez
ITURRIA SEGUROLA Mikel 28
IRIBAR JAUREGI Unai 25
LOBATO DEL VALLE Juan Jose 23
SANCHEZ MAYO Pelayo 11
Another MMR Academy graduate who's still in contact with Samu. On top of that, his matriname is Mayo
ETXEBERRIA ZAFRA Asier 7
GOIKOETXEA GOIOGANA Peio 0
CHAOUFI Tarik 0
He wasn't a good signing for the original E-E team in its last season, and he hasn't actually scored a single CQ point since 2015. But people with nothing to lose can sometimes be dangerous


And there is of course also a team anthem:

View: https://twitter.com/Inigo_Zubeldia/status/1342907218614738946
 
I'm kinda surprised so many already revealed to have picked Piccoli. I had him last year, where I enjoyed his autumn, but I don't see him light it up yet in the spring races. It seems to me the late-season races offer more opportunities for easier points due to fatigue and injuries in the peloton, and even though he already looks like a very capable rider, him getting a 700 points season fx isn't worth a pick IMO. What are peoples expectations to him pointswise?
1000-1200 points. I think he's a star.

I am a keen admirer of Arrieta indeed. Last year was too soon I felt, but this year I didn't hesitate. :)

I expect a solid progression. Ayuso, Carlos Rodriguez, and Arrieta are the future of Spanish cycling. Contador held the record on Gorla with a time of 20.30 (back in 2001). Igor broke it back in 2019 with 20.29 (In an uphill TT as a junior) though it must be mentioned that Contador did it in Subida a Gorla with a double accent of Gorla to be fair.
I really love your team building strategy by the way. I would probably have picked a Roglic or a MVDP or an Ayuso (that's more your type of pick than the other two) rather than the Vine/Wright/Conci trio and I'm a bit surprised to not see Asgreen on your team but that's really my only nitpicks. Nice to see Tronchon on there too, loved his stage win in Burgos last year and he was on multiple drafts but he was part of the last few rounds of cuts to get under budget. I considered Strong and Waerenskjold for a while too, they are some fun high upside picks.
 
ROGLIC Primoz - seems I'm not alone... I should have Rogla at least once in my team - this is looks like a perfect year.

ALMEIDA Joao Pedro Gonçalves - I guess that would be my bet of a season this time. The most hesitated pick I had this year. Got few other options but hope he will deliver great season (otherwise I'm done)

PIDCOCK Thomas - another top5 favourite pick I guess

GANNA Filippo - I mean, last season his bad spring and that record preparations spoiled the season. I hope that tendency of having each year less points then in previous one for 2 years in a row will be broken and some gains (i wanted to make funny joke of Ganna and gains but failed to do so). Red flag is of course those young guns in INEOS and Kwiato...

ALAPHILIPPE Julian - another top5 popular pick. Same like with Primoz.

STUYVEN Jasper - i just have so much respect to him... this year he was kind of available and I jumped in. Not sure about his role in Trek this season after few interviews, but it should be better then in last year (or not?)

HAIG Jack - very much alike Jasper - hope for his 2021 season form, last year was a disaster - he should be better this year.

HONORE Mikkel Frølich - first year in EF is always big risk, but worth to try.

TEUNISSEN Mike - Intermarché turns careers of some riders recently, I hope for a freedom for Mike this year, some good starts and, what is more important in this world- good finishes

STORER Michael - kind of fan pick. I'm still under charm of his Balcón de Alicante win in Vuelta two years ago.

ASGREEN Kasper - no brainer. beast season of 2021 - please return back on your seat.

UIJTDEBROEKS Cian - got few young riders last year that boosted my team, unfortunately Cian is the one of few who will remains with me second year in a row. I wish I have them back once again but not this year.

BARONCINI Filippo - injures spoiled last season. I would hope for an adequate progress this time

SCHACHMANN Maximilian - pure value.

PADUN Mark - I hope my countryman will get back in form this year

MARTINEZ Lenny - here we go. another class of kids in my kindergarden. Lenny, Romain, Thibau, Reuben, Leo - they should pass via my team. Some years ago I picked Pogo in his first ProTour year, Ayuso and Johannessen last year - this is why I love this game - you support them, they grow up, you can't afford them anymore.
GREGOIRE Romain - please see above
NYS Thibau - please see above
THOMPSON Reuben - please see above
HAYTER Leo - please see above

MOSCON Gianni - seems to be obvious

PLOWRIGHT Jensen - slim hope he will ride for some lower level races as main sprinter.

JACOBS Johan - fan pick - Johan was actually much better then what CQ rating says. just some wrong breakaways, some bad luck. I love watching him, picked him two years ago and he has my trust.

SCHELLING Ide - nightmare 2022, he can do much better, i hope.

RICCITELLO Matthew - some hype train might occur in a years to come. another pick one year before it worth it

PONOMAR Andriy - my another countryman. Arkea is weird in terms of youngsters w/o top level talent but I hope Andriy will gain more then lose this year.

FISHER-BLACK Finn - last season was the one to forget. Hope for a bright future ahead of him.

HALVORSEN Kristoffer - ok, Evans got this pick as well, i can sleep well

PEDERSEN Casper Phillip - I'm still not sure what to expect from him. Just to start with some WT races finishes w/o DNF-OTL will be enough.

WALLS Matthew - another BORA pick. not a fan of Bora, not a track fan, but that was a pure value one.

BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley - Good luck Egan. Cycling needs you in your best shape. hope all got him this year and we will be equally gaining while getting his points and watching his return.

DEKKER David - one of the biggest busts in my team last year. it can't be worth.

TARLING Josh - 0 points pick, out of all 0 points riders I've picked him.
 
Here’s the team, not mad about leaving Roglic out
ALAPHILIPPE Julian
VAN DER POEL Mathieu
ANDERSEN Søren Kragh
GREGOIRE Romain
MARTINEZ Lenny
QUINN Sean
HERMANS Ben
CONTI Valerio
VINK Michael
PLOWRIGHT Jensen
SYRITSA Gleb
HODEG CHAGUI Alvaro Jose
WATSON Samuel
UIJTDEBROEKS Cian
MAS NICOLAU Enric
HAYTER Leo
TARLING Joshua
BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley
HERZOG Emil
MIHOLJEVIC Fran
SVRCEK Martin
QUICK Blake
HAIG Jack
SCHACHMANN Maximilian
ASKEY Lewis
VERNON Ethan
KÄMNA Lennard
MASNADA Fausto
SHEFFIELD Magnus
MÄDER Gino
LUTSENKO Alexey
STEINHAUSER Georg
LEONARD Michael
 
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Okay I'm back to the computer to do, err, some more compiling! I'm working on the popularity tab, hope to get that out in the next few hours before I turn it in for the night. I've got a bit of work to do, but I should have it done in a few hours. If anyone wants to get in a guess of the top 5 or 10 picks, have at it, you've got a couple of hours.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through, but it seems like there's a clear #1 pick for this game. Wanna guess who? I'll say 2 things: 1) they're ahead by about 6-7 teams over their nearest competitor now, and 2) it wasn't who I would have guessed was the top pick. :openmouth:
 
Nov 3, 2021
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Here's my team -
  1. ROGLIC Primoz 1240
  2. PIDCOCK Thomas 599
  3. ALAPHILIPPE Julian 489
  4. WRIGHT Fred 416
  5. SAGAN Peter 402
  6. ANDERSEN Søren Kragh 362
  7. VERMEERSCH Florian 275
  8. ASGREEN Kasper 267
  9. LEEMREIZE Gijs 263
  10. UIJTDEBROEKS Cian 253
  11. KUSS Sepp 246
  12. SIMMONS Quinn 243
  13. VAN DIJKE Mick 240
  14. PAGE Hugo 230
  15. SCHULTZ Nicholas 226
  16. SCHACHMANN Maximilian 187
  17. ASKEY Lewis 178
  18. TIBERI Antonio 174
  19. MIHKELS Madis 173
  20. HARPER Chris 166
  21. MILAN Jonathan 160
  22. QUINN Sean 115
  23. GREGOIRE Romain 108
  24. BRENNER Marco 105
  25. CATTANEO Mattia 101
  26. SYRITSA Gleb 96
  27. MOSCON Gianni 61
  28. SCHELLING Ide 46
  29. EEKHOFF Nils 40
  30. WALLS Matthew 10
  31. QUICK Blake 6
  32. BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley 5
  33. DEKKER David 3

My wildcards here are the Jumbo trio of Kuss, Leemreize, M. van Dijke, and Lotto's Florian Vermeersch. I am quite bullish about them but they could turn out to be duds
 
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Nov 3, 2021
13
17
1,560
Visit site
Okay I'm back to the computer to do, err, some more compiling! I'm working on the popularity tab, hope to get that out in the next few hours before I turn it in for the night. I've got a bit of work to do, but I should have it done in a few hours. If anyone wants to get in a guess of the top 5 or 10 picks, have at it, you've got a couple of hours.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through, but it seems like there's a clear #1 pick for this game. Wanna guess who? I'll say 2 things: 1) they're ahead by about 6-7 teams over their nearest competitor now, and 2) it wasn't who I would have guessed was the top pick. :openmouth:
Moscon being the most popular rider would be hilarious!
 
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Okay I'm back to the computer to do, err, some more compiling! I'm working on the popularity tab, hope to get that out in the next few hours before I turn it in for the night. I've got a bit of work to do, but I should have it done in a few hours. If anyone wants to get in a guess of the top 5 or 10 picks, have at it, you've got a couple of hours.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through, but it seems like there's a clear #1 pick for this game. Wanna guess who? I'll say 2 things: 1) they're ahead by about 6-7 teams over their nearest competitor now, and 2) it wasn't who I would have guessed was the top pick. :openmouth:
I could see Bernal slipping through the cracks a few times if people are a bit rushed/not careful when putting their team together but there's zero reason why anyone would leave Alaphilippe out when putting together a serious team. So I'll guess Alaphilippe.

My wildcards here are the Jumbo trio of Kuss, Leemreize, M. van Dijke, and Lotto's Florian Vermeersch. I am quite bullish about them but they could turn out to be duds
I never considered Kuss, but that's a very low price for a rider of his caliber. There's not much downside and probably not much upside either if everybody stays healthy at Jumbo but if leadership opportunities open up, he could have a Martinez-like season. I really thought Vermeersch was the real deal after his Roubaix performance in 2021 but he didn't really back it up last year. To be fair he was often used as a domestique for De Lie which doesn't help him scoring wise. Not sure how to explain his fairly anonymous campaign on the cobbles however.
 
Not really happy with my team for this year. Feels like I had 1-2 expensive picks too much and too much young guns that wont make that much more points. Pretty sure I'm the only one who picked Berhe:D Interested to see what guys like Laurance, Brenner, Uijtdebroeks, Onley, Van Eetveelt, Syritsa, Teunissen, Martinez or Schachmann are able to score. The 300-80 points guys are the ones I was most convinced of. Maybe I should have included Jay Vine, the upside would surely be there if he rides successfully for gc.

ROGLIC Primoz 1240
AYUSO PESQUERA Juan 1004
PIDCOCK Thomas 599
ALAPHILIPPE Julian 489
TURNER Benjamin 372
HAIG Jack 364
STEWART Jake 360
VIVIANI Elia 304
LAURANCE Axel 301
TEUNISSEN Mike 292
ASGREEN Kasper 267
TESSON Jason 264
UIJTDEBROEKS Cian 253
SCHACHMANN Maximilian 187
ONLEY Oscar 161
VAN EETVELT Lennert 139
MARTINEZ Lenny 121
BRENNER Marco 105
SYRITSA Gleb 96
GLOAG Thomas 80
BAUDIN Alex 76
DINHAM Matthew 62
MOSCON Gianni 61
PIGANZOLI Davide 61
BOL Cees 57
SCHELLING Ide 46
FISHER-BLACK Finn 37
EDVARDSEN-FREDHEIM Stian 35
HERMANS Ben 20
BERHE Welay Hagos 14
QUICK Blake 6
BERNAL GOMEZ Egan Arley 5
DEKKER David 3
 
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I have the pleasure of introducing The Basque Street Boys

A team consisting of riders who has either ridden for the original or the current Euskaltel-Euskadi or for any of their feeder teams or who can be considered Basque in some sense or another (please note that I have listed them according to their 2022 CQ scores, not by I what deem to be their Basqueness).

There are however also a few known exceptions, and there might also be some I haven't spotted. Explanations are given for some of them.


HIGUITA GARCIA Sergio Andres 1320
Perhaps a bit controversial since he only rode for FE for a few months before the EF move, but I think he fits in quite well, and most of his old teammates are also here, so he won't be lonely. I thought Unai Cuadrado was in the team, too, but I apparently forgot him when I redid it :confused:
BILBAO LOPEZ DE ARMENTIA Pello 1304
LANDA MEANA Mikel 817
ARANBURU DEBA Alexander 618
IZAGIRRE INSAUSTI Ion 565
LASTRA MARTINEZ Jonathan 345
BIZKARRA ETXEGIBEL Mikel 229
RODRIGUEZ GARAICOECHEA Oscar 192
BARCELO ARAGON Fernando 184
BARTHE Cyril 149
LAZKANO LOPEZ Oier 148
FRAILE MATARRANZ Omar 142
ARRIETA LIZARRAGA Igor 114
ABERASTURI IZAGA Jon 108
JUARISTI ARRIETA Txomin 108
MARTIN SANZ Gotzon 104
CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan 98
IZAGIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka 95
PETERS Nans 91 I had to keep one of my non-Basque darlings
AZPARREN IRURZUN Xabier Mikel 84
CABEDO CARDA Oscar 65
CANAL BLANCO Carlos 63
BOU COMPANY Joan 59
SOTO GUIRAO Antonio Jesus 37
AZURMENDI SAGASTIBELTZA Ibai 30
ROMEO ABAD Ivan 29
He isn't Basque (at least not by birth), but he is a product of the MMR Academy founded by Samuel Sánchez
ITURRIA SEGUROLA Mikel 28
IRIBAR JAUREGI Unai 25
LOBATO DEL VALLE Juan Jose 23
SANCHEZ MAYO Pelayo 11
Another MMR Academy graduate who's still in contact with Samu. On top of that, his matriname is Mayo
ETXEBERRIA ZAFRA Asier 7
GOIKOETXEA GOIOGANA Peio 0
CHAOUFI Tarik 0
He wasn't a good signing for the original E-E team in its last season, and he hasn't actually scored a single CQ point since 2015. But people with nothing to lose can sometimes be dangerous


And there is of course also a team anthem:

View: https://twitter.com/Inigo_Zubeldia/status/1342907218614738946

Yeah, you're not going to win this ;)